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April 17, 2007

Shooting Stars

Celebrities come to Dallas to play basketball, raise money for charity

Story by: Anthony Williams

The Shorthorn Scene editor

Exclusive Online Multimedia

The Shorthorn: Laura Sliva

Actor Donald Faison and other celebrities participated in the All-Star Celebrity Slam Jam charity basketball game Saturday at Southern Methodist University’s Moody Coliseum.

Screams filled Southern Methodist University’s Moody Coliseum as basketball players entered the court.

Several Dallas Mavericks team members stood courtside, dressed casually, as they watched others in uniforms garner loud ovations.

“Chris Brown!” the announcer called, before the R&B singer ran out to deafening shrieks.

The building was almost full Saturday, not of Mavericks fans, but of those with bigger twinkles in their eyes.

It was all a part of the first Dallas All-Star Celebrity Slam Jam, presented by the Heroes Basketball Foundation, the NBA Entertainment League, the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Mavs Foundation.

Brown was accompanied by Superman Returns’ Brandon Routh, Brian White of Stomp the Yard and Donald Faison of “Scrubs.”

“This is what it’s about, giving back to the community, and I’m happy to be a part of it,” Faison said.

Other celebrities included Bill Bellamy, Joel McHale from E! Television’s “The Soup,” Percy Daggs of “Veronica Mars” and Terry Crews from “Everybody Hates Chris.” While Terrence J from BET’s “106 & Park” played, his co-host, Rocsi, served as assistant coach.

The Shorthorn: Laura Sliva

R&B singer Chris Brown participated in the Celebrity All-Star Slam Jam held on SMU's campus Saturday.

Also trying her hand at coaching was Raven, looking a lot slimmer in person. It was obvious the stars were happy to take a break from their hectic schedules.

“I have a movie with Martin Lawrence that I’m going to be doing, I’m working on my album, and I have a production company that’s doing some straight-to-DVD material,” Raven said.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also took part, wearing a jersey adorned with a dollar sign. He said working together with the NBA Entertainment League was easy.

“The NBAE’s a big supporter of what we’re doing,” Cuban said. “They love a good cause, too. They love to play basketball, and they love Dallas.”

After splitting up into green and blue teams, the game got underway. Brown had a lot of action on the court, as did actors Flex Alexander and Damaine Radcliffe. Cuban likely found himself in a different world, as Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry carefully watched his every move. The crowd even jeered when he missed shots.

Routh said he was glad to be in Dallas for the event, even with Friday’s severe weather and Saturday’s chilly temperatures.

The Shorthorn: Laura Sliva

Comedian Bill Bellamy goes up for a shot during the Dallas All-Star Celebrity Slam Jam event Saturday.

“It’s very cool to support after-school programs, give kids something to do, get them excited about life and plenty of opportunities.”

Daggs, the NBAE rookie of the year, was happy to be back in the Lone Star State.

“I’ve been to Corsicana,” he said. “I went to a basketball camp there in the ninth grade at Navarro College, and that was one of the best times of my life. I like the way it is down here. I like the people. It’s just a different vibe.”

After four quarters, entertainment from the Mavs dancers, Maniacs and Mavsman, the green team escaped with the 70-61 victory.

Cuban said he would love to participate in the Slam Jam again and that after working with UTA to test last year’s short-lived synthetic basketball, he’d love to come out to Arlington.

“UTA was a great host for us,” he said. “The people were great, the kids were great, and they’ve got great facilities.”

With no coliseum here, that looks unlikely, but the Metroplex should still expect to see such fanfare again.